Cast of 'The Who's Tommy' supports 'One With Courage'

Neva Redman, left, Andrew Clark and Sarah Oppmann, the three actors who will portray the title character in "The Who's Tommy" during the production’s Nov. 7-23 run at The Center for the Arts in Murfreesboro, shot a public service announcement for “One With Courage,” which is being circulated on social media and other local outlets.
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MURFREESBORO – The story of "The Who's Tommy," the November production at The Center of the Arts, has its roots in the abuse that the title character experienced as a young boy.

With that as a backdrop, the cast and crew has joined with the Child Advocacy Center of Rutherford County and the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties to support "One With Courage."

"One With Courage" is a recent national initiative centered on the courage it takes to talk about child sexual abuse and the unique role that the network of child advocacy centers across the country play in providing counseling and services to these victims.

Based on the 1969 rock concept album by The Who, "Tommy" is the Tony award-winning story of a pinball-playing "deaf, dumb and blind boy" who triumphs over adversities. Tommy is traumatized into catatonia as a boy, then suffers abuse at the hands of sadistic relatives and neighbors.

Andrew Clark, Sarah Oppmann and Neva Redman, the three actors who will portray the title character during the production's Nov. 7-23 run at the arts center, appeared in a public service video announcement for "One With Courage."

The video, which is being circulated on social media and other local outlets, can be seen at tinyurl.com/TommyOneWithCourage and on the arts center's Facebook page.

"Child sexual abuse is a crime of secrecy, which, tragically, breeds within our communities because it's difficult to talk about," said Clark, a senior at Central Magnet School.

"That's why the cast of 'Tommy' is working ... to support 'One with Courage.'"

Ryan Wallace, the Child Advocacy Center's community education coordinator, said he hopes the production will be "a conversation starter" to "help adults talk more openly about child abuse."

Center volunteer Renee Robinson, who is directing "Tommy" for the Murfreesboro stage, said the cast will talk about "One With Courage" during the curtain speech before every performance.

For more information about "One With Courage," go to the CAC's website, tncac.org/owc, and follow the initiative on Twitter at @1WithCourage.

"We are very lucky to have such a great Center for the Arts in our community," Wallace said. "They provide great entertainment for our citizens, but now, with their presentation of 'Tommy,' they are also helping to create awareness.

"'Tommy' shows many of the negative effects of domestic violence, child abuse and child sexual abuse, which often go hand in hand."

Ending child abuse takes a community effort, Wallace said. "The Center for the Arts is helping to bring the community together for this issue," he said.

Oppmann, an eighth-grader at Blackman Middle School, said the "One With Courage" movement encourages people of all ages to "push fear and discomfort aside and talk openly about the problem.

"The first step in ending child abuse is bringing it out into the open and talking directly about the issue," she said.

Meagan Flippin, president and CEO of the local United Way, said her organization "supports the efforts of the Child Advocacy Center in creating a healthy, safe environment… by treating victims of abuse and serving endangered children.

"Without services provided by the CAC, our community would suffer tremendously," she said. "And many of our vulnerable youth would lose a sense of hope, justice and opportunity."

Tickets for "The Who's Tommy" are on sale at the arts center's website, boroarts.org, or the box office at 110 W. College St. in downtown Murfreesboro. You can follow the production on Twitter at @TommyBoro.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Robinson said the cast and crew "will also look for opportunities throughout the run to draw attention to 'One With Courage' as we promote the show. I'm proud that our cast and crew have made awareness of this issue a priority of our production."